2014.5.16 About Living Permaculture (+Current Activities in Tokyo)

updated 6.30.2014 (same as "＊New＊About" page)

ENGLISH is Below


こんにちは！
ようこそLiving Permacultureへ。
このブログはもともとバイリンガルで
パーマカルチャー生活を発信していたんだけど、
最近は訳すのが間に合わず
英語だけの場合が多くなってしまった。
日本語の文章を書くのが苦手で
全然間に合っていない。

そのかわり、日本でワークショップを
頻繁にやるほかたびたびTUPのブログ
（東京アーバンパーマカルチャー）で
日本語の情報を発信したり、
TUPのメーリングリストでも発信している。
メーリングリストに入るには
下のメールを送ってね。
permacultivator(a)gmail.com

前の記事は日本語のが多かったので、
よかったらBullocks Permacultureの
古い記事を見てみたら面白いかも。
パーマカルチャー生活の素晴らしさが
感じられるはずだよ。

一緒に共生社会を創造して行こう。
こんなバーチャルな出会いに感謝。

愛を込めて
共生革命家
海

Living Permaculture began when I was a intern at the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead (BPH) in 2010. This was my first experience in blogging, and I wanted to both document and spread the fruits of my life as an intern. Check out the Bullocks Permaculture tab for more info. It became sort of a photo-journal. Slowly, I decided my mission was to spread the experience and learning to my people in Japan. After my second year at BPH in 2011 (post-Fukushima nuclear meltdown), I decided to move to Tokyo to be a full-time activist.

TOKYO URBAN PERMACULTURE
The nature of my articles changed to my social-political views and activism. I also started a new blog called Tokyo Urban Permaculture that is written in Japanese with frequent updates about workshops and projects that I am doing in Tokyo and beyond.

TOKYOURBANPERMACULTURE.blogspot.com

I love living off the land, gardening in my boxers or naked, eating fresh food all day, hanging out in nature with friends late into the night. But, I also love trying to change invisible structures (politics, economy, culture, legal systems) that are rapidly destroying our generous host (Earth). My view is that if we don't change cities, the centers of political and economic power, we won't have a chance of survival. Fukushima was the most vibrant organic farming area in Japan and was famous for high quality organic produce. The Fukushima nuclear meltdown wiped them out. Who wants to grow or eat radioactive organic produce? Once a hotspot for alternative farming, now a radioactive hotspot. The power plant was run and regulated by Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) and the national government, who both have their headquarters in Tokyo.

Wallstreet is the same thing. There are less and less places to hide in the world from these political-economic forces that promote climate change, environmental exploitation, and oppression of people all over the world. Some friends say we just need to leave the old system and create better systems while the old paradigm crumbles. Great idea, but then what happens to all those who cannot leave the system and continue to be oppressed? What if the old paradigm crumbles wiping all of us out (e.g. nuclear war, drastic climate change, etc)? It's an ongoing debate and its probably important that we all work on various solutions since we might not ever no the "right" answer.

NOW
So, here I am, doing my activist thing, living in the Matrix. I really enjoy social change work. It's a engaging creative process and a world of possibility. I'm here on earth to serve humanity. There is a powerful force that keeps me doing this work. I've been inspired by so many wonderful change makers, Vandana Shiva, Satish Kumar, Thich Naht Hanh, the Bullocks family, Yoshikazu Kawaguchi, S.N. Goenka, Kumi Naidoo, Joanna Macy, Lynne Twist, and thousands of youth who are driven by passion, hope, and a love for the world.

What could be more exciting than working with these people for the future of humanity?!!!! Yah mun! And it all starts with healing ourselves and learning that we all inter-are. Many of us are wounded healers, finding our way back to our power so we can serve.



HERE ARE some of MY CURRENT PROJECTS (as of May 2014)
I'm always looking for collaborators and supporters!!!
All of these are global movements, I like to be boarder-less.
Contact info below

1. Tokyo Urban Permaculture

The name of my Japanese blog and activities in Tokyo (and beyond). I do workshops on urban permaculture, compassionate communication (NVC), mindful living and meditation, and activism.  The workshops are almost entirely donation based, and my experiment is to see if I can not only survive, but thrive on people's gifts! Besides money, I sometimes I get a CD, fruits, natural farmed rice, help with my blog, etc. I want to live in a gift economy! So, I decided I might as well start. Its all an experiment so I'll keep you updated as things change, but I am confident that the earth and its wonderful inhabitants will support me on my mission to co-create a world of love for all beings.

Below is an English page with more description.

http://tokyourbanpermaculture.blogspot.jp/p/english.html

With over a dozen supporters, we're making Japan's first urban permaculture book. We want it to be visually appealing, easy to understand, practical.......and of course, revolutionary!

Another book was published recently with articles I wrote on the natural farming movement in Japan, chinampa agriculture (Central and South America), and profiles of permaculture farms/movements in Thailand, Orcas Island (WA), and Portland (OR).

See below for more info
http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-sustainability-revolution.html


2. Global Power Shift and Power Shift Japan

"Global Power Shift is the starting point for a new phase in the international climate movement. First, hundreds of climate leaders from around the world gathered in Istanbul to share stories, learn skills, and sharpen strategies. These leaders have now returned to their home countries to spark a wave of convergences, campaigns, and mobilsations for climate action."

Read more: http://globalpowershift.org/about/#Introduction

I started Power Shift Japan with the twin goals of youth empowerment and climate action. Our current campaign is to create 100% renewable energy powered universities. The university I attended, University of California Santa Cruz, accomplished this in 2006 through strategic student activism. Since Japan is embroiled in a nuclear disaster and climate inaction, I figure this is a fun non confrontational project!

Power Shift Japan (Japanese): http://powershiftjapan.jimdo.com

3. The Future Japan

This is another global climate action youth movement that I am trying to implant and grow in Japan. Its an environmental campaign that doesn't look like one. Mischievous and mysterious.

Here is the video we made (first draft.....we're still working on the music....and my eye makeup thing fell through a hole in my pocket so it took me a while to get it out. not used to acting yet:)

I like the EU version below a lot. So cool!



Homepage: www.thefuture.net 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisthefuturenet
More pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thefuture_net/with/13534071023/


4. Wake Up! Japan

Wake Up is an active global community of young mindfulness practitioners, aged 18-35, inspired by the teachings of Zen Master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. We come together to practice mindfulness in order to take care of ourselves, nourish happiness and
contribute to building a healthier and a more compassionate society.

We want to help our world which is overloaded with intolerance, discrimination, craving, anger and despair. Seeing the environmental degradation caused by our society, we want to live in such a way that our planet Earth can survive for a long time. Practicing mindfulness, concentration and insight, enables us to cultivate tolerance, non-discrimination, understanding and compassion in ourselves and the world."

In Tokyo, we've done a few meditation flash mobs in Harajuku (Tokyo youth fashion center) and a few days of mindfulness at cafes and the park. Currently planning to start working with students at Meiji Gakuin University, and doing evening meditations at a groovy temple in Totsuka (Kanagawa).

Right now we're making a video of it, and hopefully I'll expand the locations of our med mobs. Try it out for yourself! While we wait for that one, here is from my London friends

Wake Up! http://www.wkup.org/about/

Past event pictures: http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.jp/2013/06/tokyo-meditation-flash-mob-pictures.html

My TEDx talk on "stopping" where I introduce our first meditation flash mob (same as the pictures above). Right as we were about to meditate police came (probably because I wrote guerrilla mediation in Tokyo everywhere), but instead of reacting, we just sat peacefully. And 30 minutes later, I opened my eyes and they had vanished. Much like many of my daily fears. By the way, this talk was a major stretch for me since I experience intense stage fright. But, I designed in mindful breathing time in my talk so I could really practice what I wanted to share.



After the talk, I was invited to do a guerrilla meditation at the reception of the TEDx event. At the peak of the party when the participants were loudest, merrily drinking and eating, rang the bell and sat with a few others. The mindful energy (and probably shock and curiosity) slowly spread and the entire room went silent. Professors, students, business people, all meditating, many for the first time. I really appreciated the opportunity to practice with an unassuming audience. Also, the afro is key!

There are a bunch of other things I'm doing but these are the main ones (or ones easy to explain). The Nonviolent Communication Leadership Program, Coaching for Transformation, and applying those for youth and social change agent empowerment (and empowerment). Guerrilla seed planting and gardening are also some of my fun projects. Fukushima is always on my mind, and I'm trying to find a way to contribute positively while protecting my health. There is much suffering there and the meltdown continues.....

Last words
Mindful breathing is probably the most important practice I can share.
I really really highly recommend it.
Imagine if were could enjoy every breath.
Thich Naht Hanh says,
Breath you are alive!

EXTRA

1. My Super Mega Update has more info about these and other projects  (written March 31st, 2014)

http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.jp/2014/03/super-mega-tokyo-life-update-highlights.html

2. Permaculture in Japan Overview
http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.jp/2013/09/permaculture-in-japan-sites-to-see.html

Contact: permacultivator(a)gmail.com 

*sometimes I'm overwhelmed with emails so I might not respond immediately or at all. Especially if its inquiries about things I've already posted the answer of on the blog. If its urgent, or you really want to help me, send me a reminder:) Gracias.


Most importantly:

May all beings be happy

May all beings be safe

May all beings be healthy

May all beings live with ease

May I continue to be guided by love